Electric light bulb carton



1967 F. A. CILLUFFO ELECTRIC LIGHT BULB CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 11, 1963 INVENTOR Fenucus A. CILLUFF'O FHE ATTORNEYS Nov. 28, 1967 F. A. CILLUFFO 3,355,011

ELECTRIC LIGHT BULB CARTON Filed March 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J26 14 l INVENTOR 'Flzaums. Q.C\kLUPPO ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,355,011 ELECTRIC LIGHT BULB CARTGN Francis A. Ciilulfo, Elmhurst, N.Y., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 264,095 8 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in cartons, and more particularly to a novel carton for an electric light bulb.

The invention more particularly deals with a novel paperboard carton for protecting light bulbs from breakage during storage and shipment.

An object of this invention is to provide a light bulb carton formed from a single blank of paperboard.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bulb container having overlapping bottom portions which interlock in a novel manner to form a supporting base for the bulb.

Another object of this invention is to provide a onepiece blank for forming a carton to hold a plurality of bulbs.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a carton for supporting a light bulb in a position which is spaced from the top, bottom and sides of the carton.

A further object of this invention is to provide a package comprising a carton formed from a one-piece blank, and at least one electric light bulb which is supported within the carton.

Another object of this invention is to provide a package comprising a carton and at least one light bulb which is supported within the carton in spaced relationship with the top, bottom and sides thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide a onepiece blank for forming a carton for at least one electric light bulb and providing the blank with novel interlocking means.

Another object of this invention is to provide a onepiece blank with overlapping inner and outer bottom panels and interlocking the panels such that the inner bottom panel is of inverted V-shaped cross-section and provides a support base which is inwardly spaced from the outer bottom panel.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an electric light bulb carton which is easily manufactured, readily assembled and more economical than known cartons for the same purpose.

A further object of this invention is to form a carton with front, rear, top and bottom panels, and to provide inwardly directed support means which are integral with the front and rear panels for supporting a light bulb in spaced relation to the front, top and rear panels of the carton.

Another object of this invention is to provide a carton having inner and outer bottom panels with flaps on the outer bottom panel being positionable within openings in the inner bottom panel for interlocking the panels in partially spaced relation to each other.

With the above objects in view, and others that will hereinafter appear, the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the various views illustrated in the accompanying exemplary drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of the invention and shows a light bulb supported therein.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 shows the plan view on a reduced scale of the blank for forming the carton of FIGURES 1-4.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another form of the invention which is used for packaging a plurality of light bulbs.

FIGURE 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 7 7 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary plan view of the inner surface of the blank used to form the carton shown in FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modification of the invention and shows a different form of the base structure.

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 11-11 of FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary plan view of the blank for forming the base structure of FIGURE 10.

Referring now to the drawings in detail there is shown in FIGURE 5, a blank 10 for forming the carton 11 shown in FIGURES 1-4, the carton 11 being particularly adapted for an electric light bulb 12.

The blank 10 is comprised of a one-piece substantially rectangular body of flexible material such as paperboard and the like, but may be made of other flexible materials which are suitable for and have suflicient rigidity for the intended purpose.

The blank 10 has an outer bottom panel 13, connected to a front panel 14 along a fold line 15. A pair of tabs 16 are appended to the free edge of the panel 13 along fold lines 17. A plurality of pairs of flaps are disposed within the confines of the panel 13 and are shown as a first pair of transversely spaced flaps 18 and a second pair of transversely spaced flaps 19. Each of the flaps 18 and 19 is formed by providing a severance line 20 which defines three free sides of the flap.

The panel 13 is provided with an interrupted transverse fold line 21 along the attached end of the flaps 19 and a second interrupted transverse fold line 22 along the attached end of the flaps 18. A small circular cut-out opening 23 is formed in the panel 13, which opening is adapted to receive the lower tapered contact portion 24 of the bulb 12, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 2.

An inner bottom panel 25 is provided at the free end of the blank 10 opposite from the outer bottom panel 13 and the panel 25 is provided with pairs of openings 26 and 27 to receive the flaps 18 and 19, respectively. A substantially elliptical opening 28 is formed in the panel 25 and interrupts a transverse fold line 29.

The inner bottom panel 25 is connected to a rear panel 30 along an interrupted transverse fold line 31 and slots 32 are provided along the fold line 31 to receive the tabs 16 therethrough.

The central portion of the blank 10 is comprised of a top panel 33 which is connected to the rear panel 30 by an interrupted fold line 34 and connected to the front panel 14 by an interrupted fold line 35. Four spacer members 36 are connected to the top panel 33 and to one of the front and rear panels along weakened oblique perforated fold lines 37. As is shown in FIGURE 5, each of the spacer members 36 is partially severed from the blank 10 by severance lines 38 and are provided with a free edge 39 adjacent to a cut-out section 40. The blank 10 is completed by providing a small peep-hole 41 centrally disposed in the top panel 33 so that the wattage indicia on the conventional light bulb can be seen through the top panel.

The completed package is readily assembled from the blank 10 and can best be seen in FIGURES l and 2. The

inner bottom panel is shown to be longer than the outer bottom panel 13 in the blank 10. Consequently the panel 25 is folded along line 29 and forms an inverted V-shaped support member which supports the bulb 12 upwardly inside of the container by engaging the bulb along a screw'shell 42 thereof. The rear panel 30, the top panel 33 and the front panel 14 are respectively formed by folding the blank along the fold lines 31, 34 and 35. The spacer members 36 are readily moved inwardly by depressing them such that they fold along the perforations 37 and the fold lines 34, or 35, and engage an arcuate portion of bulb 12 along the free edge 39 of each spacer member.

The outer bottom panel 13 is then brought into overlapping relationship with the inner bottom panel 25 by folding the panel 13 along the fold lines 15 and 22. At this point of the assembly process the flaps 18 are inserted into the openings 26 by over-folding the panel 13 along fold line 22. The flaps 19 are then inserted into the Openings 27 by over-folding the panel 13 along fold line 21. At this point, the package is substantially completed and could be used as is, but it has been found to be desirable to provide the tabs 16 for insertion into the slots 32 such that the tabs lie along the rear panel 30, as is shown in FIGURES 13.

The completed carton and bulb provide a stable package wherein the bulb is supported at four spaced portions along the top of the bulb and at two vertically spaced por- 'tions at the base of the bulb. It is also apparent from FIGURES 1 and 2 that the bulb 12 is supported in spaced relation from the top, bottom and sides of the package and is thereby protected against breakage either when in storage or during shipment.

FIGURES 6-9 disclose another form of the invention in which a carton 50 is designed to carry a plurality of bulbs. The overlapping and interlocking bottom panels are constructed in the same manner as in the carton disclosed in FIGURES l-S and similar numerals have been used for the corresponding parts.

The carton 50 is formed from a one-piece blank 51 partially shown in FIGURE 9 as having a front panel 14, a rear panel and a top panel 52. A pair of spacer memers 53 are longitudinally disposed in the top panel 52 for spacing a pair of bulbs 12 from the top panel 52.

The spacer members 53 are separated from each other by a rectangular central panel 54 and are separated from the sides of the blank 51 by a pair of rectangular side pieces 55. The central panel 54 and the side pieces 55 ex tend longitudinally along the top panel 52 and terminate at an interrupted transverse front fold line 56 and an interrupted transverse rear fold line 57. A pair of longi tudinal fold lines 58 are disposed parallel to each other and to the sides of the blank 51 and are laterally inset from the blank edges to define the width of the side pieces 55. The central panel 54 has a lateral width defined by a pair of fold lines 59 which are parallel to each other and to the fold lines 58.

Each of the spacer members 53 has a cut-out section 60 which defines a pair of bulb-engaging free edges 61. A pair of severance lines 62 extends from the cut-out sec tion 69 into the front panel 14 and the rear panel 30 and divides each spacer member 53 into a pair of transverse flaps 64. A pair of fold lines 65 converges into the front panel 14 and a pair of fold lines 66 converges into the rear panel 30 and define the longitudinal extent of the flaps 64 of the spacer members 53. Each flap 64 is provided with a pair of oblique fold lines 67 which converge toward the juncture of the free edge 61 and severance lines 62.

The flaps 64 of the spacer members 53, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 9, each extends across the longitudinal extent of the top panel 52 and into the front panel 14 and the rear panel 30. It is further seen in FIGURE 9 that the fold lines 65 form an apex 63, and the fold lines 66 form .an apex 69.. In the assembled carton 50, the

apices 68 and 69 are situated in the plane of the front 14 and the rear panel 30, respectively, and the fiaps 64 of the spacer members 53 collapse along the oblique fold lines 67 such that the bulb-engaging free edges 61 depend from the top panel 52 and are disposed in the bulb supporting positions shown in FIGURE 7.

The lower portion of the carton 50 differs from that of the carton 11 in that there are openings for the bases of two bulbs and there are additional locking tabs 16, fiaps 18 and 19 and corresponding tab receiving openings.

In FIGURES 10-12 there is shown another form of the invention wherein various changes are made in the construction of the interlocking and overlapping inner and outer bottom panels.

A fragmentary portion of a blank is shown in FIGURE 12 for forming the lower part of a carton 111 which is shown in FIGURES 10 and 11. The blank 110 comprises an outer bottom panel 113 which is connected to a front panel 114 along a transverse fold line 115, and an inner bottom panel which is connected to a rear panel along a transverse fold line 131.

The outer bottom panel 113 is provided with a pair of tabs 116 appended to the free edge of that panel along fold lines 117. A plurality of pairs of tapered flaps 118 and 119 are disposed within the confines of the panel 113 and are severed therefrom on three sides by severance lines 120. The flaps 119 interrupt a transverse fold line 121 and the flaps 118 interrupt a transverve fold line 122. A circular opening 123 is formed in the panel 113, which opening is larger than the corresponding opening 23 of FIGURE 5, for a purpose to be later described.

The inner bottom panel 125 is provided with a pair of openings 126 for receiving the flaps 118, and a pair of openings 127 for receiving the flaps 119. Tab-receiving slots 132 for receiving the tabs 116 are provided in a fold line 131 which connects the bottom panel 125 to the rear panel 130.

A pair of bulb base engaging flaps 128 are formed in the central portion of the inner bottom panel 125. The flaps 128 are partially severed from the inner bottom panel 125 by a longitudinal severance line and a pair of arcuate severance lines 141. The lateral extent of flaps 128 is defined by oblique fold lines 142 which extend between the arcuate severance lines 141 and cross the fold line 129 so that in the assembled carton 111, the flaps 128 collapse and depend from the inner bottom panel 125 and are disposed within the circular opening 123 of the outer bottom panel 113, as is shown in FIG- URE 11.

The screw-threaded base of a conventional light bulb (not shown) rests in the pocket formed by the depending flaps 128. The top portion of carton 111 is not shown in FIGURES 10-12 but may be of the type shown in FIG- URES 1-5 or of the type shown in FIGURES 6-9. In either event, an electric bulb is held by depending engaging members at the top and rests upon the flaps 128 which keep the bulb upwardly spaced from the bottom of the carton 111.

It is to be understood that the constructions of the several cartons specifically disclosed herein are readily adapted to automatic packaging which will automatically wrap a carton blank around one or more light bulbs and lock together free ends of the carton blank.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that there has been disclosed various modifications of a unique electric light bulb carton, and it is to be understood that variations may be provided without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claimed subject matter.

I claim:

1. A blank for an electric light bulb carton comprising a rectangular body, transverse fold lines dividing said body into top, front rear and inner and outer bottom panels; spacer means formed in said top, rear and front panels adapted to engage a light bulb and space said bulb from said top, front and rear panels; said outer panel being attached to one edge of said front panel along a first transverse fold line, tab means attached to the transverse free edge of said outer panel; said inner panel being connected to one edge of said rear panel along a second transverse fold line; slot means in said second fold line being in longitudinal alignment with said tab means.

2. A blank as in claim 1 wherein said outer and inner panels are provided with a plurality of aligned flaps and openings for interlocking said inner and outer panels.

3. A blank as in claim 1 wherein said inner and outer panels have centrally aligned substantially circular cutout sections, one of said cut-out sections being larger than the other of said cut-out sections.

4. A blank as in claim 1 wherein said outer bottom panel is provided with a substantially circular cut-out section, flaps in said inner panel disposed in longitudinal alignment with said cut-out section, each of said flaps being connected to said inner panel along fold lines and separated from each other by a severance line.

5. A package comprising an electric light bulb and a carton, said carton comprising a top panel, a pair of upstanding panels and overlapping inner and outer bottom panels; said inner bottom panel being larger in area than said outer bottom panel and being partially disposed in spaced relation thereabove to support said bulb upwardly from the bottom of said carton, said inner bottom panel being of an inverted V-shape in cross section and said outer bottom panel being of a truncated inverted V- shape in cross section, said outer bottom panel having an upper central panel portion extending across said inner bottom panel, said inner bottom panel having a bulb guiding opening therethrough and said central panel portion forming a support for the bulb.

6. The package of claim 5 wherein said central panel portion also has an opening therein.

7. The package of claim 5 wherein said central panel portion has flaps at opposite edges thereof connected with inner bottom panel.

8. A one-piece carton for an article having an enlarged bulbous portion at one end and a small base portion at the other end thereof, said carton being formed of a plurality of integral panels for encircling said article with adjacent panels being in angular relation, one of said panels being a top panel for lying closely adjacent to and opposing said bulbous portion remotely from said base portion and being connected to two adjacent side ones of said panels along fold lines, a pair of opposed flaps extending into said carton along each of said fold lines, each of said flaps bridging the respective one of said fold lines and having a portion formed from both said top panel and the respective adjacent side panels, each of said flaps being folded along a continuation of the respective fold line and being of an angular cross-section, said flaps extending inwardly of said carton for engaging said bulbous portion, and means on said carton remote from and extending upwardly and inwardly thereof toward said top panel for engaging said base portion for retaining said article in engagement with said pairs of flaps.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,110,571 9/1914 Poulton 229-39 1,124,122 1/1915 Fogle 229-39 1,343,002 6/ 1920 Markert 229-39 1,626,971 5/1927 Russell 229-39 1,630,497 5/1927 Morris 229-39 1,723,021 8/ 1929 Pagan 206-46 2,205,437 6/ 1940 Ringler 229-51 2,377,603 6/ 1945 Belden 229-39 3,082,931 3/1963 Greenwell et a1. 229-37 3,134,486 5/ 1964 Voorhies 206- FOREIGN PATENTS 199,559 9/1958 Austria.

22,209 1912 Great Britain. 27,861 1913 Great Britain. 332,450 7/1930 Great Britain. 753,344 7/ 1956 Great Britain.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner. 

8. A ONE-PIECE CARTON FOR AN ARTICLE HAVING AN ENLARGED BULBOUS PORTION AT ONE END AND A SMALL BASE PORTION AT THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID CARTON BEING FORMED OF A PLURALITY OF INTEGRAL PANELS FOR ENCIRCLING SAID ARTICLE WITH ADJACENT PANELS BEING IN ANGULAR RELATION, ONE OF SAID PANELS BEING A TOP PANEL FOR LYING CLOSELY ADJACENT TO AND OPPOSING SAID BULBOUS PORTION REMOTELY FROM SAID BASE PORTION AND BEING CONNECTED TO TWO ADJACENT SIDE ONES OF SAID PANELS ALONG FOLD LINES, A PAIR OF OPPOSED FLAPS EXTENDING INTO SAID CARTON ALONG EACH OF SAID FOLD LINES, EACH OF SAID FLAPS BRIDGING THE RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID FOLD LINES AND HAVING A PORTION FORMED FROM BOTH SAID TOP PANEL AND THE RESPECTIVE ADJACENT SIDE PANELS, EACH OF SAID FLAPS BEING FOLDED ALONG A CONTINUATION OF THE RESPECTIVE FOLD LINE AND BEING OF AN ANGULAR CROSS-SECTION, SAID FLAPS EXTENDING INWARDLY OF SAID CARTON FOR ENGAGING SAID BULBOUS PORTION, AND MEANS ON SAID CARTON REMOTE FROM AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY THEREOF TOWARD SAID TOP PANEL FOR ENGAGING SAID BASE PORTION FOR RETAINING SAID ARTICLE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PAIRS OF FLAPS. 